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Pope condemns efforts to legalize marijuana

Francis says the legalization moves in Uruguay and the US states of Colorado and Washington are bound to fail

June 20, 20147:40AM ET

Pope Francis on Friday condemned the legalization of recreational drugs as a flawed and failed experiment, lending his voice to a debate that is raging from the United States to Uruguay and beyond.

Francis told delegates at a drug-enforcement conference in Rome that even limited attempts to legalize recreational drugs "are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce the desired effects."

Francis has frequently railed against the "evil" of drug addiction and has met with addicts on several occasions. When he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, he similarly devoted much of his pastoral care to addicts.

Just last month, Uruguay — next door to Francis' native Argentina — approved selling marijuana cigarettes in pharmacies. Recreational marijuana is now legal in the U.S. states of Colorado and Washington, and Oregon may put the matter to a vote later this year.